With ShowNearby preloaded on your Sony Ericsson, you don't have to trawl the Market for a relevant and reliable location-based service application. We are conveniently there in your phone to serve you!

A day in a life of a ShowNearby user
Speaking of convenience, we like to share with you a day in a life of a ShowNearby user! Well, thanks to our awesome users and their feedback, there's a story to be told, which can highlight the many things you can do with your little ShowNearby app.

On your way to work, you walk to the bus stop and wait for your bus to arrive. You check the ShowNearby Bus Stop search to find out what time your bus will arrive by browsing the bus service timings. It says 5 minutes.

Since you have time to spare, you plan to watch a movie with your friends tonight. You browse the nearest cinema, spot a nice movie and check out the movie's show time. You then proceed to book the movie.

After that, while at the details page of the cinema, you select the share option and write a personal message, and send it to your friends. Your friends will receive and later confirm with you their attendance.

Suddenly, you realised you have forgotten that you have a morning meeting. So the bus is out of the question. You use the app to book a cab! Your location is quickly detected and the booking is confirmed. A cab is on the way!

You board the cab. Wow, it has been a rush. Time to chill and check the lottery results released the previous evening. You access a Singapore Pools' point of interest and check the TOTO and 4D results.

After work, you decide to have a quick bite along the way to the cinema. You search for "Cafe", "Restaurant", "Snack", "Dessert" on the ShowNearby app to give yourself more choices. Relevant points of interest will appear as results of your search and you know what to fill your stomach with!

Awesomeness of our users
We will never be able to develop an app which incorporates relevant features, without the advice, ideas and contributions of our awesome users. They share with us their individual stories, and we do our best to be part of their lives. Thanks y'all!

The ShowNearby mobile application is regularly updated and improved because of our commitment to innovation, our learning relationships with business partners and our intimate engagement with our users.

Last month, we had the privilege of collaborating with the National Heritage Board and the National Library Board to feature museums, galleries and libraries in the app!

These are a result of a confluence of factors. A few of our users had earlier given us feedback, requesting for libraries and places of educational value. ShowNearby CEO, Douglas Gan, had met NLB representatives at an awards ceremony and took the opportunity to share ShowNearby with them. Within a couple of weeks, the excitement was capped with the feature of library points of interest!

At the same time, an employee from one of the museums had also sent us feedback, and we soon had a conversation going. We were put in touch with the NHB. One thing led to another, and both parties were very keen to have mobile integration of their listings!

Our museum search provides a broad list of museums and galleries in Singapore, each point of interest complemented by depth of information, such as operating hours and information.

Our library search is similar in breadth and depth too. Each library point of interest has its specific operating hours, bookdrop description and a short writeup on the library. Our dear users may learn an interesting thing or though about the libraries in Singapore.

We have also provided premium listing to the National Library Board. The NLB logo is thus appended to each library point interest.

On top of listings with addresses, the museum and library points of interest have their respective descriptions and contact information. Since the average ShowNearby user spends about a minute on the application, we can make it a worthwhile educational experience by providing the necessary descriptions of museums and libraries.

We are very honoured to play a role in bringing museums and libraries to Singaporeans via their smartphones! =)

ShowNearby's Business Development Manager, Amarpal Singh, or better known by his mononym Ace, represented the company at the second annual The Internet Show at Suntec Singapore April 15.

The 3-day exhibition featured seminars and conferences, with speakers from public and private sectors in Singapore and around the world. A variety of topics were touched on, which included social media, digital marketing, mobile internet, cloud computer, privacy and more.

Ace had the privilege to speak on the advent and impact of location-based marketing in one of the seminar theatres, sharing insight into current trends that favour marketing on this emergent platform.

Interest in ShowNearby amongst the professional audience grew following his presentation as Ace was quizzed about when ShowNearby will be available in the respective countries of the audience members. We are indeed honoured by their interest!

As ShowNearby consolidates its position as Singapore's leading location-based service provider, we are keeping at least one eye on opportunities to bring ShowNearby to people from other countries!

Informed by data
From Ace's presentation, location-based marketing presents a lot of opportunities for marketers to maximise the advertising potential of the platform, and also gain access to in-depth data that inform consumer habits and trends. A good example is the spruced up pie chart below on location-based search habits of Singaporeans.

It is information like the above which empowers marketers to make informed and strategic decisions.

At ShowNearby, we adapt technology to meet marketing and research requirements. We seek to develop an intelligence that is beneficial to our business partners and stakeholders.

Among 1619 technology startups from around the world, ShowNearby has been shortlisted to a pool of 289 finalists in the 2011 TiE50 Awards!

The folks at ShowNearby are very proud to have made it to the final round of the Awards. We like to thank all our users and business partners who have made this possible. This achievement is a testament to your support and belief in the company and our products.

"A must hav for all bb user!!!( especially ppl tt take buses as their transport) Keep up the gOod work" - lmwai, BlackBerry user, Apr 12, 2011.

"One of the most amazing app ever! One of my most used app. Very useful to see bus schedule and route" - germainelo, BlackBerry user, Mar 29, 2011.

Feel free to download the ShowNearby app for free on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Thank you for the good ratings you have given us!

4.5 stars for ShowNearby-on-iPhone

4.5 stars for ShowNearby-on-Android

4 stars for ShowNearby-on-BlackBerry

Vote ShowNearby! =)

We also take this opportunity to call for your support and "likes"! Please take some time to go here and "Like" ShowNearby under the Wireless/Mobile category. Thank you so much!

About Tie50

TiE50 is TiE Silicon Valley’s premier annual awards program keenly contested by technology startups worldwide. TiE50 track record since inception in May 2009 shows that 94% of the winners and finalists have been funded, attracting over $20 Billion in investments! 42 companies have been acquired, merged or went public. Participating technology startups benefit from a vast ecosystem of venture capitalists, angels, and entrepreneurs. Other participant privileges include significant investor exposure, online virtual showcasing and technology and business partnering/networking.

TiE Silicon Valley, the world’s largest not-for-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship. TiE provides a platform for mentoring, networking & education, to entrepreneurs with over 14,000 members in 56 chapters across 13 countries. TiE Silicon Valley’s annual flagship event TiEcon 2011 conference on May 13 and May 14 at Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.

We are also seeing an increase of Android users of location-based services such as ShowNearby here. The statistics we have been collecting over the past few months support this.

With ShowNearby increasingly popular among BlackBerry and Android users, the operating systems' respective adoption rates of the location-based service app are seeing steady growth.

With ShowNearby preloaded on a larger number of Android devices which are in turn gaining popularity in the smartphone market, plus more BlackBerry users turning to ShowNearby as a reliable platform for their information-seeking needs, it accounts for the growing percentage of users on these devices.

This has come at the expense of iOS devices, which has seen a dip of 13% in 2 months. This is despite more than 146,000 downloads and updates on iOS in the same period - a good indicator of why iPhones remain the most popular smartphones in Singapore and the choice platform for accessing location-based services.

Berry happy to be Black

On a separate note, many Singaporean BlackBerry users are more aware of the availability of ShowNearby-on-BlackBerry and the app has seen tremendous growth in downloads in the last couple of months.

Many BlackBerry users have long been lamenting the lack of reliable location-based service applications. With our community engagement via social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, ShowNearby now reaches out to more than 15,000 users on BlackBerry.

The LBS bandwagonThe mobile application bandwagon is more like an ark, and rightly so as we anticipate the deluge of smarthphone adoption and usage. ShowNearby believes it is steering the boat, with its brand of location-based services.

The communications and technological zeitgeist is presently marked by the almost indispensable piece of metal we call the mobile phone. It has become a must-have in every city brimming with information-seekers and businesses. Furthermore, there are a burgeoning number of location-aware smarthphones in the market, baiting strategies for monetisation, hence the location-based industry’s muilti-billion dollar valuation.

The location-based service industry is helped by the advent of mobile technology, dynamic and intelligent approaches to aggregating and presenting content, the ever-improving positioning component of technology, plus the perennial demand for information from users whose expectations are continually stoked by handset improvements, high-speed mobile internet, and emergent information and communications technologies.

ShowNearbyRiding the trend of high smarthphone penetration in sunny Singapore, ShowNearby already integrates major daily information-seeking needs into one app.ShowNearby is a location-based service provider in Singapore. It develops the eponymous location-based service application, freely downloadable on iTunes, Android Market and BlackBerry App World.

The app reaches out to 125,000 Singaporeans daily, and has been downloaded over 500,000 times. It has been a platform to over 39 million searches in the last 3 months.

The app features dozens of popular searches such as ATMs, restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets and shopping centres.

The utility app aggregates content provided by public organisations, business partners and end-users to stay relevant. ShowNearby adopts a business model characterised by intimate learning relationships with its partners, taking mobile location-based service to another level.

Noticing the PushMobile location-based services began with the location-based short messaging services (SMS). This “push notification” approach is a manifestation of the marketing school of thought where information – and advertisements – has to be delivered to end-users. For location-based SMS, end-users receive text messages whenever they spend a substantial amount of time within proximity of an advertisement.

Marketers then have to contend with the implications posed by the intrusiveness and relevance of the approach. In fine-tuning push notification, marketers look to collecting user information with a view to filter the notifications. Filtering also minimises drop-out rates, a common fate when end-users are interrupted.

Another strain of mobile location-based services orientates towards the loose concept of “pull notification”, wherein end-users voluntarily access specific applications and receive advertisements and promotions within proximity. This provides another level of consent from the end-user to receive content from advertisers. The fact that the end-user is already engaging in information-seeking activity further minimises redundancy in advertising.

In mobile marketing, a message is effective when it is delivered at the right time, right location and to the right persons. Given the intimacy and how deeply integrated the mobile phone is in daily life, people become less tolerant of arbitrary messages and interrupting advertisements.

Being Smart with Smartphones ShowNearby captures end-users in moments when they are actually in demand for information. The content from advertisers comes in the form of recommendations which are time and location-sensitive, suited to the recipient’s pattern of usage.

ShowNearby currently has over 200 business partners in Singapore and there are more lining up to leverage its location-based services. Businesses have long been keen to have a mobile presence and engage consumers via mobile platforms as they have did on the television platform for the latter half of the Twentieth Century. Studies of the effectiveness of mobile marketing vis-à-vis traditional media confirm the excitement and great sense of urgency which greet the mobile platform.

ShowNearby offers, among its suite of services, location-based advertisements, which appear in the application when the user is either within proximity of a selected location or browsing specific categories selected by the advertiser. For instance, a hair salon may run an advertisement campaign within 3 kilometres of its location, and also choose to advertise in the “Hair Salon” group of search keywords. This captures both impulse consumers as well as active information-seekers of hairdressing services.

Businesses run their advertisements with ShowNearby from as little SGD$1 per day (USD $0.80) and enjoy click-through of almost 10 times the industry average on the web. Advertising on mobile also displaces the need for paper pamphlets and mailers, proving to be a more environmentally friendly option.

With major cities experiencing higher smartphone penetration and higher population density, ShowNearby now eyes markets beyond Southeast Asia as it develops its technology into a viable and relevant marketing platform for everyone.

Douglas was also inaugurated as the President of the Alumni Chapter that night.

In his speech, he expressed his gratitude to NP and called on fellow alumni to remain connected with the school and one another.

"Ngee Ann taught me to learn. I learned to innovate and to be creative in problem solving. I’m proud to say that this school of ours strongly believes that education is a journey of learning. Ngee Ann has developed us holistically by giving us opportunities to sharpen our soft skills, teamwork, leadership skills and professionalism. These are skills that I now carry with me. I am very grateful for these and thank all my lecturers."

Image by Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of ICT

"This school has placed most of us in a better position to contribute to our families, our society and the school itself. Thanks to this school, we have the privilege of further education. Let us use our privilege to create more privileges for our juniors."

Fellow ShowNearby co-founder Lee Changjin who was also in attendance at this launch, is also part of the executive committee.

Douglas and Changjin (first 2 on the left, back row, in the picture below) met as coursemates in the NP School of ICT more than a decade ago, and they later founded ShowNearby together.

Image by Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of ICT

While these 2 individuals have made progress in their professional lives, they not only remember their Alma Mater but also give their time to help build its alumnus.

ShowNearby congratulates the Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of ICT and the launch of its Alumni Chapter. We wish the Chapter all the best.

We apologise for any inconvenience previously caused to our users. But thanks to all of your feedback, we have identified and rectified the issue. The app improves because of the contributions of the community of ShowNearby users. A big THANKS to all of you out there!

Please update your ShowNearby app. =)

On an unrelated note, we like to share with you a cool recommendation on Android Market. =D

Users of Sony Ericsson phones need not download the ShowNearby app from Market, as it is preembedded for their convenience! By the way, Sony Ericsson had an event which launched the Xperia Arc, Xperia Neo and Xperia Play on March 24 (see more here). Congratulations!

All images and their copyright belong to Sony Ericsson

For Sony Ericsson users, there are exciting features such as the bus timing widget, weather "now"cast and integration into the Timescape plugin.

Bus Timing Widgetry
Choose your ShowNearby Bus Timings widget now! You may customise it by naming the bus stop you are at or normally frequent. You may also use this widget to retrieve your "favourite" bus stop (under "My Favourites") that was previously stored in your ShowNearby app.

Add your ShowNearby widget and voila! It will be on your phone's home screen. =)

Bright skies ahead
Our Sony Ericsson users will be very pleased to know that weather information is now location-specific and updated real-time! If you are headed to Sentosa within the next hour, you can access a place in Sentosa, view its place details page and see the weather information!

Great to have this app, if we say so ourselves, when you are planning to have a beach outing, picnic or dine alfresco. =D

To check the weather, simply select a nearby place and check out its place details page! If you are at Junction 8 Shopping Mall for instance, simply select the place and see the top right hand corner of the screen of the place details page.

Tap on the weather icon on the left of the "Favourite" star icon to learn more about the weather condition!

Available on Timescape
ShowNearby is the first app from the Asia Pacific to be integrated in Timescape, a system on Sony Ericsson that aggregates the activities of the user. With ShowNearby-on-Timescape, you can see deals and promotions near you! Feel free to download it here.

These features are now available on all Sony Ericsson phones!

Feel free to learn more about the launch and the phones here. Thanks "bluetooth" of OCWorkbench for sharing ShowNearby!

We recently located the problem associated with disruptions in bus timings.

After thorough investigation and testing, we have found that some of our users were affected.

We will be releasing a patch shortly to rectify this.

Thank you so much for your feedback, as they have helped us to solve this. We appreciate the contributions of our users as well as the time they have taken to share with us their feedback. Because of that, we are in a better position to make the app better for one and all.